Col. John Berry was a decorated artillerist who served at the Battle of Ft. McHenry during the War of 1812. This is a collection of his papers, certificates, correspondence, and family history. The collection also includes a letter to Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott.

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Provenance

Gift of Mrs. Annabel Ebersole; January 17, 2013

Accession number

2013-005-LIB

Processing note

The collection was processed in 2013 by Ben Koshland.

Biographical Note

Col. John Berry was a born in 1791 to Benjamin Berry and Eleanor Lansdale. During the War of 1812, Berry was appointed captain of the 1st Reg. 3rd Brigade of the Maryland Militia. This artillery company served during the Battle of Fort McHenry and gave Berry national attention for his service. At the end of the war he was offered a position within the regular army, but decided to decline the offer from then Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott.

After leaving the army, Berry went into business with his brother Thomas L. Berry and purchased the region northwest of Baltimore known now as Poplar Grove. Following his death in 1856, Berry passed the land on to his son John Summerfield Berry. John S. Berry sold much of Poplar Grove using the funds to create the Dukeland Estate, just southeast of Poplar Grove.

Scope and Content

This collection is broken into three series. Series I: Subject Files contains reports, receipts, certificates, and miscellaneous papers relating to Col. Berry from 1812-1889. Most of these papers relate to his work as an artillerist and munitions manufacturer during the War of 1812. Series II: Correspondences contains indexed letters, 1814-1818. Series III: Family History consists of papers, newspaper clippings, and letters collected by the Berry family1836-1954. All series within this collection are organized chronologically. Some materials in Series I and II are housed in an oversized folder.